Tight availability for North American strawberries

Overview of strawberries in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on November 13, 2023.

Strawberry supply is tight right now in North America. “We have been picking out of the northern regions such as Salinas-Watsonville and Santa Maria but that’s coming to an end and we’re planting for next spring,” says Trent Etchandy with GEM Pack Berries.

At the same time, strawberry production is ramping up in the southern growing region, specifically Oxnard with Irvine starting in the next month or so. Central Mexico is also trending upwards, though it isn’t fully underway. “We’re in this transition between the north and south so that’s why the supply is very limited,” he adds. Volume in the South is anticipated to pick up mid-end December. The Oxnard region did start on time.

Mexico’s strawberries

However in Mexico, central Mexico’s production began in November–last month’s Hurricane Otis has put the crop slightly behind. The crop from this region will continue through March.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Notably, strawberry quality is being closely monitored due to the windy conditions and potential rain as of November in Oxnard. “The winds don’t particularly slow down production but it does cause bruising and damage to fruit so then we have to be more cautious while picking and there’s less going into our packs,” says Etchandy.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Florida will also start its strawberry production later this month but we will not see any major volume until mid-December.

On demand for strawberries, it’s strong which is typical for this time of year and exceeding supply as berries have become a year-round staple in the produce department. “Gem-Pack’s purchase of Well Pict Berries this past summer will boost our supply once seasonal transitions smooth out. We are excited to offer the well-established Well-Pict brand beside Gem-Pack’s own label,” says Etchandy.

The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.

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